Everyone casually found an air-conditioned restaurant to sit down, have some afternoon tea, and chat.
Gary finally had the time to ask his question: "What is that Zippy Zap thing? Why can it make your Speed increase so much? And did your Pikachu take something? We've all been traveling for a month, how did it reach Elite Level?"
"Of course, it's because my Pikachu has a unique talent, and with my strong training methods, reaching the Elite Level is just a matter of time!" Ash boasted shamelessly in front of Gary, his pride knowing no bounds.
"Haha, speak plain language."
"I beat a Professional Level match, so I leveled up."
Gary: ???
Dude, I asked you to speak plain, not brag!
Beat a Professional Level and leveled up? You mean your Pikachu fought against a Professional as an Advanced Level and won?
What a load of rubbish! If you can beat a Professional Level opponent across two significant tiers, I'll eat this dining table!
"Ash had a match with Lt. Surge at the Vermilion Gym two days ago, requested the highest challenge level, and defeated his Professional Level Raichu, so Pikachu leveled up," Brock explained on the side.
With his honest face, it was hard to imagine him lying, and having battled Brock before, Gary knew Brock was the Gym Leader of Pewter Gym and didn't need to lie about this.
So Ash actually won against a Professional Level Raichu with that Pikachu? And it was an evolved Raichu too!
Then his loss wasn't exactly unfair...
"How did you do it? The ability values of Professional and Advanced Levels aren't in the same league. No matter how you use tactics, they shouldn't work against such a level gap." Gary asked Ash out of curiosity.
"Because my Pikachu was well-trained, and Lt. Surge's Raichu was poorly trained, so that's how I won."
Gary: ...
That explanation is as good as nothing. Couldn't you provide some useful information? How did this guy become so tight-lipped now, making it impossible to get anything out of him, completely different from the old brash Ash!
"Alright, alright, I'm teasing you. In truth, when Pikachu wears my hat, its condition transcends to another level, enhances its strength, and it can use skills other Pikachus can't, like Zippy Zap. That's one of the reasons I beat Lt. Surge; he underestimated my Pikachu."
After teasing Gary a bit, Ash stopped hiding Pikachu's secret. It's not really a secret because, eventually, others would find out when they see it more often.
Pikachu with a hat and without are like two different kinds of Pokemon.
Even if he hadn't told Misty and Brock, they would've guessed, let alone Gary.
After some more battles with Gary, he would eventually know, so Ash just told him directly.
It's nothing earth-shattering.
Also, when Pikachu wears the hat, it sticks like it's glued on, unless Pikachu willingly takes it off; no matter what happens, the hat stays securely on his head.
So trying to weaken Pikachu by knocking down the hat is not realistic.
Even though Gary had guessed part of it, he still looked like he had seen a ghost after hearing Ash's explanation.
Goodness, is your Pikachu even legal? Who gave you this Pikachu? Get me one too!
Gary silently looked at his grandfather Professor Oak, only to find Oak staring back at him with a shocked expression.
Why are you shocked? Didn't you give him this Pikachu? You don't know it's special?
"Was this Pikachu always this special?"
"...Professor Oak, where did you find him?" Ash asked with a twitch of his mouth upon seeing Oak's expression. Are you telling me the person who gave me a Starter Pokémon didn't know Pikachu was this special?
So, where did Professor Oak get this Pikachu from?
"Uh... I happened upon him a year ago. Though Pikachu is as common as stray dogs in Kanto, there was something about this Pikachu that felt different, so I captured him."
"This guy didn't like staying in Pokeballs but kept causing trouble outside, so I had to force him into the Pokeball."
Professor Oak looked at Pikachu with a face full of snacks, showing a hint of helplessness.
Upon hearing this, Pikachu ceased eating and looked up at Professor Oak with an embarrassed grin. Yeah, he was a bit of a troublemaker back then.
But how would it still be called a Pikachu if it weren't so playful, right?
Because of this playfulness, no other Trainer chose him, ultimately making him Ash's partner.
Though at first, there was some friction with Ash, his Trainer showed Pikachu qualities other Trainers didn't have—the ability to fight!
Initially impressed by Ash's combat skills, Pikachu later witnessed more miraculous traits, including granting him an unusual power, the partner form.
Without Ash, perhaps he really would have remained just a 'stray dog' Pikachu.
Ash ruffled Pikachu's little head, feeling grateful that if he hadn't been late, he might've missed Pikachu. But then again... many versions of Ash had Pikachu as a Starter Pokémon, maybe even if he wasn't late, he'd still get Pikachu?
They were destined to be partners.
"You should know what item that is, right?" Professor Oak suddenly asked.
"Yes, it's the Light Ball, specifically for Pikachu."
"You kid, knowing about such a niche item is impressive, you've really grown!" Professor Oak shook his head slightly.
Thinking back to when Ash was a dunce under his tutelage, now he's leaning towards being a top student—maybe his teaching methods are flawed?
"Hehe, of course, it's a Pikachu-exclusive item. I have to pay attention to it. Pikachu, I'll have you wear it later."
"Pika Pika!"
...
After the chat, darkness had fallen, so they all played at the beach for a while before dispersing.
Professor Oak and Delia were heading back to Pallet Town, and Gary, Professor Cerise, and Chloe were going to Vermilion City.
Gary's reason for going to Vermilion City was naturally to challenge the fourth Gym. The original Vermilion Gym might've been challenging for Gary, but after Ash gave Lt. Surge some lessons, his attitude as a Gym Leader has improved.
He won't be as tough on challengers now.
So when Gary goes, it'll just be normal difficulty, and passing shouldn't be hard for him.
Ash, Misty, and Brock stayed at the Acapulco Resort, planning to board a ship to Maiden Gorge in the morning. Once they reach Maiden Gorge, they won't be far from Celadon City.
So they decided not to detour through Vermilion City.
Before they parted, Chloe mentioned they could visit her in Vermilion City if they had time, to which Ash readily agreed.
Thus, the once boisterous group was back to Ash, Misty, and Brock.
After a day of fun, Misty and Brock were a bit exhausted, so when they returned to the Pokemon Center, they took a bath and went straight to bed.
Ash entered the group chat to continue learning from the experts.
Ash now understood the meaning of the phrase Professor Oak often told him during lessons—Knowledge is power.
Acquiring more knowledge allows for better strategic choices in battles and more efficient ways to train Pokemon in daily life.
So Ash wouldn't miss any learning opportunity, aiming to make up for all the knowledge he hadn't gained in previous years!